In the morning of the fifth of December, Sinterklaas brought a visit to the school of Thomas and the day-care of Nils (which is in the same building). It was great to be there when he arrived, and all the kids were singing songs. Two of the three “Zwarte Pieten” were not completely painted black and had make-up that resembled the soot from the chimney. For the kids, this has become completely normal, as this is what they also see on TV, but apparently, only a few places in the Netherlands are willing to follow these small but significant changes. In my mind, stubbornly and thoughtlessly sticking to old-fashioned conventions, knowing that these traditions are stigmatizing for some, is short-sighted.
